Service NL

The NDP MHA for St. John’s Centre has now written to four cabinet ministers in just under a month, looking for a common-sense solution to a roadblock facing transgender people in this province. Gerry Rogers wrote the first letter on Feb.

NDP Transportation and Works critic George Murphy (MHA, St. John’s East) says uninsured drivers continue to present major problems for drivers and other consumers in the province. Murphy made reference to an accident last week which saw a car drive into a St. John’s home. The driver was uninsured, leaving a question mark as to who would pay for the damages.

NDP Service NL Critic George Murphy (MHA, St. John’s East) says operators of commercial vehicles such as taxis may be among the first to be hit with massive rises in insurance, but they won’t be the last unless government steps in.

NDP Service NL critic George Murphy (MHA, St. John’s East) says the ambulance situation at Eastern Health is getting worse and without prompt action may reach crisis level. Murphy attended a demonstration held by paramedics at Confederation Building today, and brought their concerns to Question Period in the House of Assembly.

NDP Service NL critic George Murphy (MHA, St. John’s East) says it is well past time for the provincial government to put the brakes on exploitative payday loans.

“Since 2010, we’ve seen a class action court case, a three-year police investigation, and numerous families victimized by interest rates that are effectively as high as almost 800 per cent a year,” Murphy said today.

NDP Service NL critic George Murphy (MHA, St. John’s East) is not surprised to learn the Canadian Federation of Small Business (CFIB) Red Tape Report Card has dropped the provincial government’s grade to a C+ from last year’s B due to, the CFIB says, government’s lack of transparency and accountability on regulatory reform for small businesses.

Two NDP MHAs say government must act now to fix the provincial ambulance program before the situation in rural communities gets any worse. Health Critic Gerry Rogers (MHA, St. John’s Centre) and Service NL Critic George Murphy (MHA, St. John’s East) say recent cases have highlighted the urgency.

It has been two years since Service NL committed to do a medical review of x-rays of mineworkers in Labrador West. Today in the House of Assembly, NDP Health Critic Gerry Rogers (MHA, St. John’s Centre) wanted to know why the review hasn’t yet started, despite the fact that a company has been selected to do the job.

NDP Service NL Critic George Murphy (MHA, St. John’s East) is optimistic that the “Move Over” laws he has been promoting are closer to becoming reality in the province. The legislation, which exists in most other North American jurisdictions, provide some measure of protections for police officers and other emergency responders on highways.